This invention relates to athletic garments which have the apparent contradictory necessities of providing very firm support while permitting unrestricted movement. In athletic endeavors, such as diving, the protection of the genitals and the breast is of paramount importance to a diver, and the enhancement of the competitive athlete's appearance can have a positive effect on the judging. Also, the garments have the function of providing support to the body in general during extreme stretching, bending, and twisting motions. It is also necessary, of course, that the suit stay flush with the diver's body and in position. Needless to say, it would be highly undesirable if the suit should shift relative to the body of the user either during the diving motion, the entry into the water, or during swimming action.
It is also important in the design of athletic garments to permit unrestricted motion. If the garment tended to pull or bend, there could be several undesirable results, e.g., the timing of the athlete could be thrown off or a diver could be thrown off balance.
In the past, there have been many attempts to solve this problem by the use of simple elastic materials. Samples of the garments with built-in supports are illustrated in Friedman U.S. Pat. No. 4,564,015 and Johnson U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,538, the contents of which are hereby included by reference. The Friedman patent discloses a lady's garment with a bra component along the inside of the top. The integral bra is attached along the top seam but is not attached along the bottom edge or the side seams. As a result, the bra may tend to move separately from the suit for a limited motion, and separate motion of the garments may be possible. A similar type of construction is shown in the Johnson patent.
The present invention has provided for the firm support of the user of an athletic garment by providing a combination of shells and liners of two-and four-way stretch materials. In particular, a liner and/or a support is normally used which only stretches in one direction, e.g., horizontally, and is referred to hereinafter as a "two-way stretchable fabric or material," in combination with four-way stretch garments, i.e., a fabric that stretches both vertically and horizontally. In particular, the use of a two-way stretch material in a critical portion of the garment allows flexibility in one direction, while providing a firm support in the other direction. The combination of this two-way stretch material as a liner with an outer shell provides a new and unusual result of very substantial support for the user as well as flexibility and adherence of the garment during extreme athletic motions.
This invention also provides for the particular construction of an integral bra with a woman's athletic suit which is attached along the upper and side edges but not the lower edge. This particular attachment allows the bra to provide substantial support while moving with the wearer and the remainder of the suit. It simultaneously, however, allows stretching of the material with the user's motions of stretching, bending, and twisting without becoming disoriented or displaced.